POLARIZATION SWITCHING ELEMENT, POLARIZATION SWITCHING DEVICE, OPTICAL PATH SWITCHING DEVICE, OPTICAL SCANNER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

摘要

PPROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a polarization switching element in which heating efficiency and accuracy can be enhanced by directly heating a liquid crystal material in an optically effective region and reduction of light utilizing efficiency of a heater is eliminated by making the heater serve as an electrode for driving the liquid crystal and productivity can be also enhanced by forming a heater electrode and a driving electrode together. PSOLUTION: The polarization switching element 10 includes a pair of transparent substrates 1 and 2, spacers 3, an alignment layers 5 and 6, the liquid crystal 4 having spontaneous polarization by which an alignment state is changed by polarity inversion of an applied electric field, transparent conductive films 8 for heating which can apply a current for heating the liquid crystal 4 formed on the surfaces on the inner sides of the transparent substrates 1 and 2 superposed on the optically effective region 7 of incident light and a transparent conductive film 9 for driving which can apply a driving electric field changing the alignment state of the liquid crystal 4 to between the transparent substrates 1 and 2. The transparent conductive film 8 for heating serves as the transparent conductive film 9 for driving and is formed in the optically effective region 7. PCOPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT